Mustangs come up short against Tigers

MT. PLEASANT, Iowa - The Mount Mercy women's basketball team pushed Iowa Wesleyan for the full forty minutes, falling 55-49 at Ruble Arena in a non-conference contest earlier tonight.

Both teams were evenly matched with a 14-14 score after the first 10 minutes. Madison Dreckman made a layup just nine seconds into the second quarter, but the Tigers went on a 10-0 run over the next six minutes. Anais Bonnemaison's free throw followed by a five-point swing from Sadie Struchen, got Mount Mercy back within two. Iowa Wesleyan sank a free throw for the 25-22 lead going into half time. 

The Mustangs had a slow start into the third period allowing Iowa Wesleyan to build their largest lead of eight. Mount Mercy answered on multiple occasions but could not breakthrough to take the lead. A Sammy Mia three-pointer brought Mount Mercy within two at 34-36, but the Tigers responded on the very next possession with a long ball of their own, holding onto their eight-point advantage with 10 minutes to play. 

Annika Headington and Mia opened the fourth draining shots from behind the arc, cutting Mount Mercy's deficit to two, 43-45. Again, the Tigers answered with a three-pointer just fifteen seconds later. A Bonnemaison free throw made it 46-48, but Iowa Wesleyan continued to break Mount Mercy's momentum from long distance, connecting on yet another three. The Mustangs were perfect from the free throw stripe down the stretch, but the Tigers held off all Mount Mercy's potential comeback runs.

Iowa Wesleyan (3-1) and Mount Mercy (2-1) both struggled from the field, shooting just 31 and 34 percent, respectively. The Tigers held a 34-26 rebound advantage over the Mustangs. Mia finished with 17 points while Bonnemaison and Headington each added eight. Struchen finished with seven points and Tatum Griffin five off the bench to outscore Iowa Wesleyan's bench 12-0. Three of the Tigers starters reached double digits; Breanna Wendland paced all players with 18 points and nine rebounds. 

Mount Mercy has a 10-day break before they are back in action for their last home, non-conference matchup against Viterbo (Wis.) (1-2) on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 2:00 pm inside Hennessey Rec. Center.